Better to Know, Than to Assume
by McRaider
Summary: It wasn't until I was standing there watching him fly through the portal that I realized just how wrong I'd been about Tony Stark. The Chapters have now been Reordered, this is COMPLETE! Thank you everyone!
1. Peppering with Love

******Avengers**  
**Better to Know, than Assume**  
**McRaider**  
**Summary:** It wasn't until I was standing there watching him fly through the portal that I realized just how wrong I'd been about Tony Stark.  
**Author's Notes**: There's a lot of fanfiction for such a great movie. And there have been a lot of apology stories thus far when Steve apologizes, and they are all beautiful. So I decided to join in. Hopefully I didn't make this too out of character for Tony, I only get his voice right when I'm really trying not to think about it. I love Captain America (Chris Evans) and Iron Man, but I felt like at times, the Captain came off a little rude, so I wanted to highlight that as well. Usually, I'm all about Slash as well, but the feeling just didn't take me in this one.

**A/: First off, thank you again to all the wonderful reviews! I loved writing this story and while I'm sad to see it end, i'm glad that I've succeeded in writing an Avengers story that is liked, because now I can post my next stor****y!**

**Chapter One: Peppering with Love**

I sat in the plan staring at the TV in horror, "Rhodey," I whispered quietly, "Turn this plane around, I want to go home." I tried to keep my voice from shaking, my whole body from shaking. I saw him fall, drop to the ground he looked dead. The TV didn't show anything else. This was worse than Afghanistan, with that I could at least have hope.

I felt like my heart had been ripped from my chest. I grabbed my phone, deciding maybe, just maybe if he was alive, I could call him and I felt my stomach hit my throat at the sight of his smiling face on my phone. He'd called me. He must have called me on his way up, I was his last call. "Tony," I whimpered. I gasped when it began to vibrate in my hand, his face appearing again. "Tony?" I felt a little bit of hope.

"Hi beautiful," the voice sounded tired and pain filled, but it still was a sight better than alive.

"You're alive," I couldn't help cry this time as my hands shook.

I could practically hear his smile, "I tried to call and at least tell you I was going to die."

I bit my lip, wiping my hand across my face in effort to rid it of the tears that had begun to appear there. "I'm coming home."

"Good, good."

"I'll…I'll talk to you later," I murmured.

"Yes you will," he said with an assurance I didn't feel. It was nearly forty-five minutes later when Rhodey and I surveyed the damage of our building and stepped out into the streets of New York to see all the chaos that had occurred. And walking down the street in all that chaos were five men and a woman who couldn't look like less of an unlikely team if they'd tried. Leading the pack was tony, my beautiful Tony.

He made his way to me, I could tell just by the way he walked he was tender around his ribs and his knee was giving him trouble. "Pepper," he said cordially, as he tried to surpress his grin.

"Mr. Stark," it was our normal greeting, but I didn't want normal, I wanted to feel his strong arms hold me, I wanted to know he was pouring all his passion into m e at that moment. A second later he swept me up in his arms and held me tight, pressing a light kiss to my chin and cheeks. "I'm here Pep," he murmured in my ear.

"I know, I just can't stop hugging you."

He chuckled, "Plenty of that for later," he pulled away and thanked Rhodey before we all went inside. I watched him go inside, followed by the rest of the team, only Natasha stopped, giving my arm a gentle squeeze.

"Is he okay?" I asked her seriously.

Natasha sighed, "I don't know. I can tell you that some things were said to him that might be bothering him. Just…be yourself, he cares for you I can see it."

I smiled and nodded, "I'm aware, thank you Tasha."

I found Tony lying on the bed fifteen minutes later, his eyes were closed, but I could tell from his breathing he wasn't asleep. He'd stripped down to his boxers, showing a an array of bumps and bruises, a smattering of scrapes and a few old scars I was all too familiar with.

I moved over to him, making sure the door was closed and locked. Moving over to him, I tripped down to my bra and panties before I climbed on the bed beside him and watched him just lie there. I ran my hands over his body, starting at his legs, tracing some of the bruises and the scars, a handful he'd gotten just by tinkering in his lab. I skipped past his lower waist and moved up to his six pack, thirty-eight and he still had a well defined and toned back, with just a little bit of extra padding, I liked it. I traces my hands over his broken and wrapped ribs, over his arms and up to his neck and face, that handsome face.

"I love you," he murmured, clearly relaxed. I felt him stiffen at the realization of what he'd just said, he glanced at me, as if waiting for me to hate him for it.

"I love you too, Tony," I pressed a kiss to his lips.

"There's beautiful woman in my bed."

I grinned, "Yes there is, what are you going to do about it?"

"If I didn't have two broken ribs, I'd show her how much I love her, but would she settle for a nice nap."

I settled against him, resting my head on his shoulder and curling my body as tight against his as I could. Despite what others thought, Tony enjoyed being coddled and cuddled as much as anyone. At times, normally when we were alone, it was as if he'd been deprived of it all his life and was only now getting the chance to truly appreciate hugs and kisses. I never understood how someone could go without being loved, but I'd give him whatever he needed to be happy. After a few moments of silence I looked at him, "Are you all right?"

"Physically?"

"Mentally and emotionally?"

"No." His answer was surprisingly truthful, which was unlike him, but then he'd learned not to lie to me. "What am I without my suit?"

I propped my head up on my hand and studied him, "Your Tony Stark, the smartest man, but don't tell him that, I've ever met. You have a heart of gold."

"Actually it's made of a new element," he grinned jokingly.

I laughed, "You know what I mean."

"Seriously, though Pep. I mean really, they are skilled marksmen, crazy green giants, Gods, and Captain America."

"Tony, who cares about that, you're all human, well except Thor. But you're all men and women, made from the same thing, so some are stronger than others. It doesn't mean any one of you is worth more or less than any other."

"I should've died half a dozen times, Pep, at least, but I keep living. People die around me, and I just keep on living."

I pressed a kiss to his forehead, "And I'm thankful for that. Tony, I know you struggle with this because you rarely hear it. And I know you're so used to people telling you that you aren't worth a hole in the head. But you are, I'm so proud of you, and the man you've become, I'm proud of how much you've grown just in a few years. And that man I fell in love with, twelve years ago, I love him even more now. I love you, Tony. So don't you ever let anyone tell you that you aren't good enough, because it's not true."

"Thank you."

I nodded, kissing his lips one last time as we laid back down, arms wrapped around one another and closed our eyes, soaking in the feeling of being close. "Marry me," he whispered.

"What?"

He looked at me and smiled, "Not right now, but one day, Pepper Potts, become my wife."

I smiled, "I'd be honored."

He nodded and we closed our eyes again, our breathing slowed as we fell into a semi fitful sleep.


	2. Of Gods and Little People

**A/N: Hopefully I did Thor and Black Widow some justice, I figured out while writing that I don't think Thor would talk to Stark about this, but rather the Captain, hence this scene. In addition, I didn't think Natasha was going to be all that forthcoming as well, so I wrote her into this scene. I'm considering a final chapter of Pepper (maybe) and then I'm going to move onto my next story. **

Chapter Two: Of Gods and Little People

The man of Iron was a foul mouthed creature who clearly did not know his place in the chain of command. That was until I heard what the Captain in stripes said to him. As a man of war myself, I am seasoned enough to know that even if there is a weak link in the chain, you do not weaken it further by berating it.

The man of Iron proved himself later as he flew the pointy canister towards the sky, only to fall back to Earth unmoving. The green monster they called Hulk roared and the man made of Iron eye's shot open and he looked around confused.

It was after that odd meal that I decided to approach the good Captain. He was sparring with an oversized bag in the middle of the room. These humans certainly did have odd habits. "Captain, may I have a word with you?"

The Captain stopped and studied me, "Sure."

"Do not consider this to be a judgment of character, but as a former leader I find it is not in the best interest of the other soldiers to berate them in front of one another, but rather speak of their better qualities."

"What?" He looked confused.

I was unsure what to say to make him understand, was I not speaking plainly enough? These humans were not just tiny and petty but also not very bright. "The way you spoke to the man of Iron earlier today, it does not seem just to speak to another warrior that way."

"Stark isn't a warrior, he's a brat who thinks he knows everything."

"Forgive me…what is a brat?" I was unfamiliar with this term.

The Captain just stared at me, as if unsure what else to say. "He thinks he knows everything, grates on my last damn nerve! His father wasn't like that!" He began to punch that oddly shaped bag again. I watched him for several minutes. "His father was this good guy, genius who wanted to change the world. Stark up stairs seems more interested in telling the world how fantastic he is."

"In my time as a God, I have learned that those who act…tough, often are so because they have fallen the furthest."

"Tony doesn't know the first damn thing about falling."

"You're wrong," The woman in black startled us both as I watched her walk in with purpose. "I don't like Stark anymore than you do, Captain Rogers, but I think you'll find he's fallen further than you could ever anticipate."

"I already tried to apologize to him, he's so damn full of himself he told me just to talk to Pepper. What does she even see in him?"

"That is not for you to question," I spoke up, turning my attention back to the Captain. "The woman with fiery hair must see more than we do. But I would not consider you highly if you continue to treat your warriors the way you did man of Iron today."

"That makes two of us," The female warrior stated as she wrapped her hands in white and began to beat the bag as well.

"What's so damn special about him, besides his IQ?" The captain directed his inquiry towards the female.

"Men like Stark don't become heroes because it just comes to them one day," She answered. "They become heroes out of pure necessity. Hawk, you, me, hell even Banner by some misguided accident all those this life because the opportunity was there and it was interesting. Banner wanted to further science, you wanted to serve your country, I wanted to clear my ledger and Hawk just wanted to get away. But Stark had an entirely different reason that had far less to do with interest and far more to do with survival instincts." It was clear the maiden knew more about the man of Iron than she let on.

"What do you know?" The captain questioned.

She let out a long breath, "I'm say that yes, while he is an egotistical jerk who spends most of his time boozing and wooing women until he had Pepper, that from what I've heard he's a hell of a lot better than he used to be, and there's a reason, a reason far beyond even Pepper's calming abilities.

"You think I was wrong?"

"I think calling him worthless was a step too far, Captain, and I think everyone else in the room thought so too, especially if God of Thunder over here agrees."

I looked up, realizing she spoke of me, and I nodded. "No warrior is completely worthless. Each of us can bring their own strength to the team. Perhaps instead of wounding the man of Iron, it would be better suited to find a way to help him become less…"

"Annoying?"

"I do not know what that means."

The female chuckled as she dropped her arms, "I'll leave you two boys alone."


	3. It's Not Easy being Green

_**A/N: You can all give a special thanks to Shara Raizel who gave me a few ideas of what else she'd like to see. I enjoyed writing this story and as I thought about it I realized I could at least do the Hulk, and Hawkeye, and assuming I ever get used to Thor's voice I could do him as well. Here's Banner's POV, bare in mind this is a little shorter just because I think his view on Stark is far more simple than the others. **_

**Chapter Three: It Isn't Easy Being Green**

The first time I met Tony Stark he seemed almost gleeful about the other guy. I couldn't quite figure this guy out. It wasn't until after he'd poked and prodded me, joked around before he finally said something that left me stunned. He wasn't even a little bit frightened of the big green guy. In fact, he felt that maybe, just maybe it was for the best.

Perhaps unlike the others, I'd actually read all the files, including the 'need to know' information. I knew about Stark's past. I'd known about it without reading, even living under a rock had news about high profile men gone missing. I knew what happened, and it was a little easier to understand why he was the way he was. It's easy to fake being happy and pleasant when the alternative is being utterly terrified of everything that's happened.

I felt anger rush through my veins when I heard the Captain suggest that Stark didn't deserve to be here. And as a man who dealt with anger and sadness on a daily basis, I could see the look in Stark's eyes to know that he hadn't appreciated the comment either. I couldn't tell if it was a look of anger or sadness, or perhaps a mixture of both, but I could tell it left a pain point that they would ultimately have to deal with later.

I didn't see Stark again until battle, but from what it sounded like, Stark was the only one who'd believed I'd come help my friends. Somewhere, in my alternate personality's mind, when Ironman was falling, I just knew I had to save him, had to protect the man who wanted to protect the Hulk.

It wasn't until after we ate and settled back into some of the lower levels of the Stark Tower that I sought out the man with so much faith. He was standing in his lab staring at his suit, quiet filled the lab. "What you said, about this being a good thing…why did you say it?"

Stark didn't look at me as I came to stand at his side, he simply continued to look at the Ironman suit. "There is no Ironman without me, and there'd be no me if not for something that happened two years ago."

"I know about the kidnapping."

He nodded, "As horrendous as it was, it made me…who I am today. Better man certainly doesn't seem appropriate."

"Yes it does," I replied quickly.

"Careful Hulkster, people will start to think we're friends."

My lips turned upwards slightly, "I already thought we were, Metal man."

"What's it like…to lose absolute control?"

"Terrifying." He bit his lip, I could see more questions behind those eyes, but I had to give him time. I've never talked about this with anyone, maybe someone like Stark would be good for me. I spoke again, "I never knew just how angry I was until I was faced with it in the form of a giant monster."

"Yeah, I know the feeling."

"Stark, you didn't know people were selling your weapons under the table, and I have no doubt that if you had, you'd have put a quick stop to it."

"What if I hadn't? What if my father knew about this all along? What if he was selling them too?"

"I believe your father to be a more noble man than that, and I think you do too. And I know you're better than that, you did just fly a nuclear war head into outer space with no intentions of coming back. Stark, what Rogers said about you, it's not true, you deserve to be here and have as much right to be here as any of us. And you're not worthless."

"Aren't I?"

That surprised me, I'd never realized that under all that bravado really was a man who had incredibly low self esteem. "Do you just pretend to be a self-center?"

Stark chuckled, "Maybe just a little. Most of it comes naturally. It's easier than admitting the truth?"

"That you wish you could die to rid yourself of the memories?"

The silence that met that question was all the answer I needed; I could see it in his eyes. It was part of his self destructive nature. Maybe if he died then the world wouldn't talk about him anymore, and maybe he wouldn't have to have nightmares anymore. "Another thing we have in common, Banner." He mumbled.

"Yeah well, I would've regretted not getting to be a part of this, so I guess I'm glad the other guy spat the bullet back out." I knew from the moment I'd met Stark that he was a good guy and a strong man, because any man who could make a joke about a giant rage monster, couldn't be that bad, he just wanted to be treated like everyone else.


	4. The Hawk Hones In

**A/N: Thanks again to all the reviews, this was probably my favorite chapter to write, because I've just fallen head over heels for Hawkeye, and while I think at some point I could probably ship Tony/Clint, I really like that these two men are very similar and could make very good friends, so I played with that.**

**Chapter Four – The Hawk Hones In**

The only brief impression I had of Tony Stark was that he was a loose cannon, who used his narcissistic tendencies to deflect attention from how irrevocably fucked up he was which I learned from Natasha shortly after her original assignment to him a few years back. While I'd never met him personally, until we boarded the shuttle, a few things were instantly clear.

First: He and the Captain had some sort of tension between them that they were currently ignoring despite how clearly painful it was to all of us. Secondly: he held no looks of distrusts to me, while Thor and the Captain kept looking at me as though I was about to shoot arrows through their hearts. For a man, Natasha once said, had little reason to trust anyone, it was clear once he trusted someone, it was equally as hard to break that trust.

When I saw him fall from the portal and I felt my heart sink at the thought of loosing someone I really could've enjoyed being friends with only then to be happy when we all ended up surviving after all. After an oddly quiet and weird dinner, we headed back to Stark's tower and I watched him for a few moments before heading to find a nice hot shower.

It was late that night, after a nightmare of killing Natasha, when I wandered to the kitchen. Where Tony sat with a bottle of scotch before him and a tumbler he twisted back and forth between his hands slowly. He glanced up to see me enter and reached under the cabinet he sat in front of to pull out another tumbler. I realized, as he poured me some that his eyes were just as haunted as mine probably were.

I didn't want to talk about my nightmares, so I could only assume he didn't either. So we sat there silently for several minutes before I finally found the words. "Did you really hack into the SHIELD security and blare music through Natasha's ship?"

Stark laughed, "Of course, life and death missions are so boring without a soundtrack," he studied me for a few seconds. "You all right, Legolas?"

"Clint," I corrected, though I'd never admit the geeky side of me loved that comparison.

"Tony."

I nodded, "So what's got you making love to a bottle of scotch instead of Potts."

He shrugged, "Couldn't sleep."

Natasha had told me what Rogers had said to Tony and she hadn't been too happy about it. While Stark drove her crazy, I could tell she thought more of him than she let on. "Yeah, I know how you feel."

"You weren't in control, Clint," that took me by surprise. I'd never thought of Stark as a deep thought kind of man. "Don't blame yourself for something like that."

I shouldn't have judged him as such, "I'll stop dwelling on it, if you stop dwelling on what Captain Dumbass said."

I half expected some smart ass comment, but again was surprised when he got a defeated look to his shoulders, "He's right though."

"Bullshit," I snapped. "And he's not a very good leader to say any thing like that. You're here to help because to some extent, Fury trusted you. That damn well should've been enough for all of us. I've seen you in the heat of the moment and you're every bit as dedicated as the rest of us."

Tony poured more scotch for the two of us, then lifted his glass, "Here's to a life time of baggage."

I clinked my glass against his and sighed before sipping it. "You trusted me after all my killing, why?"

"You mean aside from because the Captain didn't?"

"Yes."

"I didn't know for a majority of my career, that my father's closest friend and business partner was dealing my weapons to the bad guys under the table, the guys we were supposed to be killing. Does that make me responsible for all those deaths that occurred because of that?"

"No, of course not, you had no control-" I stopped, realizing what he was getting to. "If you weren't such an ass you might actually make a good psychologist."

"I just call it how I see it," He tossed back the last of his scotch and stood up, only slightly unsteady. "I'm going to bed."

"Night, Tony."

"Goodnight, Clint."

I watched him saunter away and smiled, Captain Dumbass was very wrong, and if he didn't come to that realization on his own, I was going to be more than happy to show him.


	5. A Captain of What?

**A/N: First off, thanks to everyone for the kind reviews! I'm planning another, longer story now, bare with me though I sprained my wrist so it's going to be a little slower. I'm glad you all liked this, **

**Chapter Six: A Captain of What**

I stood watching the man I'd criticized only a few hours earlier for being self-obsessed and not deserving to be here, fly a nuclear war head up through the portal and into the abyss. A million things could happen, he could be captured, he could obviously be killed.

It was at that moment that I realized I had completely misjudged this man, and that I was far too delayed in that realization. Then he was hurling back towards the ground, but not flying…falling. I watched as the Hulk caught him and rolled to the ground, protecting one of the youngest members of our team, my only concern was if he was alive, and if I could make things all right between us.

It was later when I finally approached him, and tried to apologize, and he brushed me off, I felt the sting of shame as he told me to talk to Pepper. It wasn't until early the next morning I got a moment alone with the beautiful young redhead. She glanced up from where she was making coffee, "You want to know about Tony," it was more of a statement than a question. She must have talked to him, she didn't look upset but rather just indifferent.

"He wasn't too pleased when I tried to apologize to him."

She smiled, "Tony doesn't like apologies, he feels that very few are done for the benefit of the person who is receiving it. So let me ask you, Captain, were you apologizing to make yourself feel better, or to make Tony feel better."

For a moment, I opened my mouth before realizing that Tony was correct, at least partially I wanted to apologize for myself. "Both."

Penny nodded, "Perhaps, Captain, before you decide to make judgment calls about people Mr. Fury trusts, you should read the whole file."

"I read the file, I know all about Tony Stark."

She smirked, "Do you, yes well, shortly after SHIELD approached Tony for the first time, Tony requested a specific portion of his record be kept, private. I guess maybe he didn't want people to feel sorry for him. Though, I expect it would really only endear people to him, but then he said I was biased." She picked up a work pad and typed a couple things in it, before handing it to me. "It's better you know anyway, as the leader of this team, you may face something that will ultimately cause Tony to have a flashback, he has them occasionally, far less often than he used to, so it's best you're prepared." She headed towards the door. That fact hit my hard, I was the leader and I had the nerve to tell one of my men he was worthless.

"Was Tony a solider?" I questioned.

"No," she replied turning and looking back at me, "If he had been then he probably would've at least had some training on how to cope afterwards. But then, from what Rhodey told me, there's never any real good way to cope with something that awful. After your finished you'll find Tony in his lab I'm sure, ask Jarvis to let you in, Tony will be waiting."

I nodded, and headed back to Tony's work out facility and closed the door. I sat down on one of the benches and hit play.

"_The great Weapon Master himself, Tony Stark is reportedly missing after his trip to Afghanistan earlier today, when the unit he was riding with was reportedly attacked. There is some question on whether or not he's dead, but at this time no more is known." _

_ Rhodey stepped up to the podium, his eyes were blood shot and he looked shaken to his core, "Earlier yesterday there was an attack shortly after Mr. Stark's demonstration, unfortunately, being cut off from the rest of our unit, we believe To…Mr. Stark has been kidnapped. We…we are doing everything in our power to find and bring Tony home safely." _

I watched the footage they'd managed to gather during his stay in the camp and felt my gut twist, this was a man who'd literally lost everything, and even then was shown the horrors of his company's choices. He watched the footage of Tony's torture and ultimately his escape.

_"Effective immediately, I'm shutting down the weapons manufacturing of Stark Industries." _

After discovering that his company had been selling under the table, Stark had gone to great lengths to ensure it never happened again. If anything, Tony was a bigger hero than all of us, because while Thor was a God, and I'd been created to become Captain America, and the other two were assassins, and the Hulk was basically an accident. Tony was an above average man who'd decided to change the course of his own life after what he'd been through. He'd been through hell and back and he came out better for it.

The little I'd heard about Howard Stark since my return from being a 'Capcicle' as Tony put it, was that while Howard was brilliant man, he'd been a fairly abysmal father. I wondered if the reason Howard had never been able to connect with his only child was because he'd never had any real friends. Had the man abandoned by everyone but his wife, made him personally all but abandon his only son. Despite his clear loneliness, Tony had clearly become a wonderful man, no matter how different a façade he put on.

I stood and shut off the video feed and headed down to the lab, "Jarvis?"

"He's waiting for you sir."

"Thank you."

Stepping inside I watched Tony for a few minutes as he hummed while he worked, not realizing I'd come in yet. "For what it's worth, I really am sorry about everything that's happened to you."

Tony shrugged as he turned, "You don't need to be sorry about that stuff, Cap. You had no control over any of that."

"Perhaps not, but had I actually asked and taken the time to make sure I knew more about you, I never would've said the things I did. It's clear you took a lot more time to make sure you knew about all of us, and I don't think any of us really did the same for you, well except maybe Natasha."

"It's my job to know everything before I go into a situation, understand the equation."

I nodded, "And I'm sorry I told you that you were worthless."

Tony inclined his head to the side, "Accepted, I don't like you yet, but maybe one day."

"I'll see what we can do about that."

"I'd expect no less." He studied me a moment longer, "Have a nice afternoon, Captain."

I smiled, "You too, Stark."


	6. A Man made of more than Iron

**Chapter Five: Man made of More than Iron**

"Take all of that away and what are you?"

"Genius, billionaire playboy philanthropist," I replied without a blink. I'd spent thirty years of my life looking up to a man I'd never met, idolizing him…wishing. Though I'd never admit it, the number of times I wish he'd been around instead of my father. And now here he stood in front of me and all I wanted to do was get the hell away from him as fast as my iron suit would let me.

"And I know men who are worth more than ten of you," the Captain replied.

Was he right? That's all that kept swirling though my mind later, when I was trying to get the engine back up, I kept wondering would they be better off without me, could they do this without me. The smart ass side said I was the glue! But another side, the side I blamed my father for said _every_ man was worth ten of me.

Though I'd never admit it, there's nothing that hurts more than to hear your hero say you're worthless. If I'd made a list of things that hurt the most in the world, I'd have to say that would rank right up there with my father not attending my graduation…any of them, and the kidnapping. Funny how two men can leave a bigger imprint on me than a terrorist cell. Or perhaps it wasn't bigger, just…different.

I didn't really think about it, there wasn't a whole lot of thought behind it. They say your life flashes before your eyes when you die. There wasn't much to flash by, the life of a loner who pretended he didn't care about anyone or anything. All that changed, with the time spent in Afghanistan, with a man who helped him escape, but never got out himself. Maybe I was a narcissist, but not when it counted, at least that's what I wanted to hope for. I didn't fly the nuke through the portal because of everyone in New York city, sure it was a good motivator, I did it because of Pepper. If Pepper had been in this city she'd have been injured or worse. She deserved to be proud if she was going to end up alone.

I felt the last of the oxygen leaving my lungs as I watched the ship explode before my very eyes. I wasn't even aware I was falling. When my eyes shot open and I was staring into the face of the Captain, Muscle Man Demi-God and Green Bruce, I knew I was at least still alive. So why was I still so disappointed.

"Hulk catch Tony," Green Bruce offered. I'd never see him as the Hulk, this creature before me would always just be an extension of the man I considered friend. "Is he alive!" A voice demanded over my headset and I smiled slightly. "Come on kids, lets join the rest of the team," I began try to stand but felt my ribs give an all too familiar ache.

"I carry," And with that, Green Bruce lifted me up and we began to swing from building to building, followed closely by Thor and the Captain.

"Thanks Bruce," I finally managed as we stepped onto the platform.

"Hulk."

I stopped and met his green eyes, they were still Bruce's, "Hulk and Bruce are the same person, just like me and Ironman. So thank you, Bruce." I wouldn't ever let him forget he was a good man, a decent man, if it was the last thing I did.

He set me down as my suit rebooted itself, I groaned as I saw Clint and Natasha's eyes go wide, "We saw you fall," Natasha whispered. I could tell they both wanted to say more, but Clint wasn't an openly responsive man, he and I would no doubt talk later. I just gave Natasha a smile as we moved over to Loki.

"Sir, should I inform Ms. Potts about you."

"Let her know I'm alive, Jarvis."

"As you wish, sir."

Hours later, after we'd eaten, and been treated by SHIELD for superficial wounds, we all headed back to the Stark Tower, "Tony!" I looked up to see both Rhodey and Pepper standing there, looking equally concerned. I hurried as fast I could with a couple bruised ribs and grabbed Pepper in a hug that I hoped would never end. I felt Rhodey clapping me gently on the shoulder. "We've talked about your tendencies for self destructive behavior, but this was about the worst I've ever seen," Rhodey spoke quietly as Pepper and I pulled apart.

"I'm fine."

Rhodey nodded, "Good, because I'm really tired of picking up the pieces of your broken body. Ms. Potts, let me know if you two need anything. Tony, take care of yourself."

"Yes Sir," I gave him a fake salute, before accepting a quick hug from him and watching him head back over to his car. The rest of the team stood behind us, "Come on, then, you guys can stay here until Bruce and I get this thing set up for Thor and Loki."

However, despite my best attempts at concentrating, tonight nothing was really going to get done like I'd hoped, several hours, after everyone had seemingly gone to sleep, I stood out looking at my broken tower and up at the sky. I shouldn't care at this age if my father would be proud, if he'd even give a shit. No one was ever proud of me. I was a playboy. I saw the footage of my time in the Middle East, and I know they were all too happy to joke me being dead and finally getting all that I deserved.

Did I deserve it? I hoped like hell I didn't, but maybe they were all right. "I owe you an apology," a voice startled me from my thoughts.

I turned to see the Captain standing there, dressed in a white t-shirt and a pair of slacks looking at least a little more comfortable. "I'm sure I haven't the slightest idea of what you're talkin' about Cap." And honestly I didn't want to hear it, I was past platitudes. Apologies were to appease the other person's feelings, not the one who'd been told off. His apology wouldn't make me hate him less, wouldn't make me wish for a better childhood, it wouldn't change anything, it would just mean he was trying to get rid of his own personal guilt. I could care less how guilty he felt; maybe a little shame would help the Captain. It certainly helped me see my errors. Perhaps that was where the Captain and I differed; he'd gotten everything he'd ever wanted after years of suffering. I suffered for years and then discovered what real suffering was only to discover I was the reason everyone else suffered.

"You saved an entire city, myself, and our team by what you did, and without a second thought about yourself, you must have known there was no way you'd come back, or at least assumed it."

"Are you apologizing because you honestly mean it, or are you apologizing because you just realized I deserve to be here as much as you?" I questioned as I whirled around.

I may not be a super hero without my suit, but I sure as well wasn't a moron, and I certainly didn't need to hear a man who thought the world of himself tell me how tiny I was compared to the rest of the population, I did that plenty on my own.

"Tony, I shouldn't have said what I did, it was wrong."

"No, you shouldn't have. And maybe I shouldn't have said a few of my own things either, but that doesn't make your apology worth any more to me. I earned my right to stand at the side of all of you; maybe you think I'm nothing without my suit. But my suit would be nothing without me. So if you can't handle the idea of me being on this team, too bad."

"Tony…"

"NO!" I shouted, I knew where this was coming from. "I've spent too long letting people like you and my father tell me I was worthless. I'm done." I snapped.

"You aren't worthless, Tony. I'm sorry if I or anyone else ever made you feel that way, it was wrong of me to make a judgment call like that without really knowing anymore about you than your file."

"My file, huh. Talk to Pepper about my file sometime, she'll show you the restricted stuff, and then you can tell me about my worth. If you'll excuse me, I have a building to rebuild." I brushed past him, I wasn't ready to be free of that anger yet, sometimes anger fueled success. It certainly helped me create Iron Man. The Captain could talk to me after he knew the real truth. Once he knew everything, then, and only then maybe he'd considered accepting an apology.


End file.
